PRATTVILLE -- A man who reported an armed robbery that led to an extensive manhunt Friday in Autauga County now faces felony gun charges.

Raymond David Moody Jr. of the 300 block of Driver Road., faces a charge of possession of firearms by a prohibited person, court records show. He is an felon with a conviction of extortion/assault on his record, court documents show. He called the sheriff's office about 10:15 a.m. and reported two men, armed with snub-nosed revolvers, approached him as he left his home and robbed him of an undisclosed amount of cash.

Moody was in the Autauga Metro Jail on Friday afternoon under a bond of $2,500 and could not be reached for comment. Court records show he doesn't have an attorney.

His report started a chain of events that saw dozens of state and local officers converge on the area, including dog tracking teams from the Alabama Department of Corrections and a State Trooper Helicopter clattering overhead.

Investigators spoke with Moody while the search was going on and that's when he admitted to being felon, Chief Deputy Joe Sedinger said. He also admitted to having a handgun in the travel trailer he lives in, sheriff's reports show. After the robbery, Moody said he retrieved the handgun and fired several shots into the woods, then gave the handgun the a neighbor because he knew as a felon he wasn't supposed to have guns, Sedinger said.

The armed robbery report is still under investigation, Sedinger said. The chief also told media outlets that the suspects should be considered armed and dangerous during the initial phases of the manhunt. He defended the response to the call.

"With a call like this you have to move very quickly if you want to make an arrest," Sedinger said. "We are going to use every resource at our disposal to investigate calls and make arrests as quickly as we can. We said they were armed and dangerous because that's what our information at the time showed.

"We are going to be honest with the public so they can take the necessary steps to protect themselves."

When asked if he felt the armed robbery call was bogus, he paused before answering.

"The armed robbery is still under investigation at this time," he said. "But I'll tell you this, if we get a similar call tomorrow the response will be the same."

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Authorities are searching for two armed robber suspects around Driver Road off County Road 39 in Autauga County.
Marty Roney